Did you know that the Belgian population is constantly on the rise?

On 1 January 2017, the population of Belgium was officially 11,322,088. According to the numbers published by the Federal Public Service Economy (FPS Economy), our population rose by 54,178 inhabitants in 2016.

According to the FPS Economy, the Belgian population grew by 0.48% in 2016, which amounts to 54,178 inhabitants. This increase is slightly lower than the one recorded in 2015 (+0.53%), and is primarily due to two demographic factors: first, a positive ratio of births to deaths was recorded in 2016, which represents ¼ of the recorded population growth, and second, immigration was stronger than emigration, which accounted for ¾ of the year’s growth. In 2016, 17,797 people obtained official refugee status or benefited from subsidiary protection. Our total population grew to 11,322,088 inhabitants, with 51% women and 49% men. These official numbers do not account for individuals still waiting for their asylum application to be approved.

It should also be noted that the increase in population varies from one province to the next. Antwerp and Flemish Brabant saw the most growth, with a rate of 0.7%. Population growth in Walloon Brabant, which amounted to 0.8% in 2015, fell to 0.6% in 2016. The Hainaut province saw little movement, with only 0.2% growth.